CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - Former South Africa coach Jake White was confirmed as director of rugby at Durban-based Sharks on Monday and will reunite with his captain from the 2007 World Cup winning campaign John Smit. Sharks CEO Smit, who skippered the Springboks to their World Cup win under White six years ago, confirmed the appointment in a statement, ending speculation of where the 50-year-old would continue his career having surprisingly quit his role as Brumbies coach last...

It looks like another detective is leaving the force on "NYPD Blue." Actor Jimmy Smits, who plays Detective Simone on the ABC drama, told New York columnist Liz Smith that he plans to leave the show after this season, his fourth. Smits will appear in up to a half-dozen episodes next season to help phase out his character. Smits joined "NYPD Blue" to replace David Caruso, who left to work in movies but is now starring in the CBS drama "Michael Hayes." Smits said he wanted...

By Christine Stebbins CHICAGO, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Rising interest rates will have little to no effect on Cargill acquisitions in the coming year as the U.S. agribusiness company builds its network of supplies and customers in the global food system, Cargill Chief Financial Officer Marcel Smits said on Wednesday. "Our view of the world is that very low interest rates lead to most people chasing for yield, and that doesn't help us in our...

A 12-year-old girl was listed in critical condition Sunday after a fire filled her Calumet City home with smoke, trapping her in a closet, authorities said. Firefighters found the girl Saturday in an upstairs bedroom, said Calumet City Deputy Fire Chief Dan Smits. The girl, whose name was not released, "suffered severe smoke inhalation," Smits said. The fire at the two-story townhouse in 100 block of Webb Street started in the kitchen, where food left cooking apparently...

About halfway through a very interesting interview over breakfast at the Kingsbury Street Cafe, the actor Jimmy Smits asked a question of his own. "How come you've not asked about my own relationship with addiction?" he said, as his warm face took on a sudden intensity. It was a fair question. The edgy Stephen Adly Guirgis drama known as "The Motherf***er with the Hat," is opening at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company on Sunday, and the reason Smits' face can be seen (under a pair of...

Jimmy Smits, known for his TV work on "L.A. Law," "NYPD Blue," and "The West Wing" is headed to the stage of the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago. Smits, who appeared on Broadway in "Anna and the Tropics" and "God of Carnage" but has not worked in Chicago before, will appear in director Anna D. Shapiro's production of "The Motherf*ker with the Hat," a reprise staging of Shapiro's 2011 Broadway staging, albeit with a different cast. The high-octane show, penned by Stephen Adly...

Sara Lee Corp. swung to a loss in its first fiscal quarter of 2012, but operating income excluding currency conversion, acquisitions and divestitures improved. The Downers Grove-based food and beverage company lost $215 million, or 37 cents per share, for the period ended Oct. 1. That compares with earnings of $194 million, or 29 cents per share, a year earlier. Adjusted operating income, excluding currency conversion, acquisitions and divestitures, increased...

Leonard A. Gautier, age 81, late of Homewood, IL, passed away on August 13 at Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey. Mr. Gautier was a W.W.II Army Veteran. Arrangements by Smits, DeYoung-Vroegh Funeral Home. 708-333-7000 or www.legacy.com

Sara Lee CEO Marcel Smits discussed reasons for a possible relocation to Chicago — citing the downtown's "dynamic" environment and talent pool — as well as benefits of changing the company's name at the annual shareholder's meeting in Glen Ellyn on Thursday. Based in Downers Grove, Sara Lee plans to split into two companies next year, a retail meats business based in the Chicago area, and a coffee and tea business expected to be headquartered overseas. ...

Sara Lee CEO Marcel Smits discussed reasons for a possible relocation to Chicago — citing the downtown's "dynamic" environment and talent pool — as well as benefits of changing the company's name at the annual shareholder's meeting in Glen Ellyn on Thursday. Based in Downers Grove, Sara Lee plans to split into two companies next year, a retail meats business based in the Chicago area, and a coffee and tea business expected to be headquartered overseas. ...

'The Road' . 1/2 It's a miracle "The Road" works at all, given the harsh, murmuring severity of its source, the 2006 Cormac McCarthy novel full of minimally punctuated dialogue, taking place in a world ravaged by an event -- human-made? climatological? -- unspecified by the author. Director John Hillcoat's film version, scripted by playwright Joe Penhall, constitutes an act of faithful adaptation. Yet its faithfulness is more to the letter than the spirit, and it's not the work of an inspired...